This Help America Hear scholarship winner finds inspiration in this tree that flowers in cold weather.

By Nicole Lee

When I turned 11, my mom bought me plum blossom seeds because their flowers were pink, which was my favorite color. She also brought me an elephant watering can and taught me about responsibility; for example, I have to remember to water the seeds, or else they will die. Although the tree died because I had been overwatering it, my mom gave me a second chance and told me that it was okay if it wasn’t perfect on my first try. I just had to keep trying.

A few years later, my room was filled with a fresh and blooming aroma from outside my window. It smelled like plums with flowers and a little hint of honey all mixed in. As I looked out my bedroom window, I saw a large, beautiful tree. It had long, brown branches and was completely covered with pink flowers.

Plum blossom trees are important in Chinese culture because they bloom through cold winters, symbolizing perseverance. Throughout my childhood, perseverance has played a huge role in my story.

Starting High School With Surgery

In 2019, my perseverance was put to the test. I was hard of hearing which meant that I could only hear loud sounds, but I can’t hear soft sounds like /s/. However, that year I lost all of my hearing and went Deaf, meaning I can’t hear anything except when I put my hearing aid on my right ear (which is turned to the max).

My audiologist recommended cochlear implant (CI) surgery to bring sounds directly to the auditory nerve. I was a little hesitant because I was entering my freshman year of high school, and I didn’t know if I could balance doctor appointments and schoolwork. I decided to go through with the surgery because it was worth a try.

The hard part was after the surgery. My audiologist said that I had to work diligently during the training process to make effective use of my cochlear implant. After my ear healed, I got fitted and received my implant. I could finally hear, but every noise sounded like television static. Eventually, those static noises became words. I could hear the loud sounds and the soft sounds.

It was very hard, but I could start to differentiate between sounds. There were times when all of my progress diminished, but like my plum blossom tree, it can always grow again. Before my CI surgery, my audiologist told me that I scored 0 percent on the listening test, but after lots of training, I soon scored 89 percent.

I kept on working on my listening skills even when it felt impossible. Trying to figure out the sounds was like trying to see things in pitch black. However, with practice and support from my family, the sounds got clearer and clearer. I was pleasantly surprised with myself because I always thought of myself as a weak person. I thought that my traits were set in stone by the time I got to high school because I had already grown up.

Since my surgery was during my freshman year, my peers and teachers helped me catch up with schoolwork and I ended the school year with straight As. Perseverance from my hearing loss journey helped me to be super productive in school where I maintained straight As while taking challenging classes, joining different clubs, and getting more involved. Although receiving instructions may be challenging, I would ask for clarification and keep working until I understood the content.

A STEM Future

I hope to major in computer science. While learning more about the CS field, I also noticed the disparities. Women only account for 28 percent of workers in the STEM field, and Deaf/hard of hearing only make up 0.13-0.19 percent! But, what about those who are women and Deaf?

As a Deaf woman in STEM, this scholarship will allow me to achieve my goals of providing representation. I learned that bias can come from the developers because they may not have that perspective. At college, I want to continue exploring my interests and further investigate bias. I want to conduct research that can help others. I want to keep an open mind and consider all perspectives when coding an application to make sure it is inclusive.

I also want to empower people like me by showing that being Deaf/hard of hearing has no limits. I believe that tech can be used to provide accessibility and representation.

I learned that I always have room to grow like my plum blossom tree. Day by day, I tended to that growth. I can grow in knowledge or grow in character. In this case, I practiced listening and my listening comprehension grew, like watering the seeds. I know I’m always going to be learning from others and growing to overcome obstacles.

My plum blossom tree probably won’t grow in height, but it will always grow branches and flowers. I am most proud of the flowers.

A resident of California, Nicole Lee will be attending Berkeley in the fall. This story is adapted from her essay that earned her one of Help America Hear’s 2023 scholarships.

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